Your invitation to attend the launch of Anna
Please join me for the launch of my new novel, Anna, which will form part of a moving and exciting presentation with Ukrainian born Adelaide artist Natalya Boujenko.
Natalya was born and raised in Ukraine while it was part of the Soviet Union. Her story is entrenched within the history of Ukrainian migration to Australia with her family settling here shortly after the Second World War. It had nothing to do with the present war.
Natalya recalls that as a young woman growing up and raising her own family in South Australia, how dangerous it was for her to communicate with her relatives in Ukraine. Her move to Australia in 1992 was at a significant point in Ukrainian and Soviet history. The Berlin Wall had been dismantled and political life within the then Soviet Union changed dramatically. Ukraine declared its independence from the USSR in 1991 but was attacked by Russia in 2014. Then, in 2022, Ukraine suffered a full-blown invasion. The resultant war is ongoing.
Natalya turned to the easel and craft table, and her work today, while proudly portraying Ukrainian life with and without the struggle of conflict, also highlights her life as an Australian artist. Twigs, leaves, branches and dried proteas are not safe from Natalya’s creative clutches. There is a depth to her work that reveals her own emotions based on her Ukrainian connections, and heralds hope.
Natalya and Stan will be appearing at Mount Gambier City Hall on Saturday 28th November at 2pm. Admission is free but please confirm your attendance with the library: https://bit.ly/4yEUPJ5
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